Moses Cleaveland and the Western Reserve

Known as the Western Reserve, once upon a time a substantial portion of Ohio belonged to Connecticut. The acreage was part of the original land grant given to Connecticut by the British monarchy dating back to the 1600s. When Connecticut gave up its claim to most of the land stretching westward to the Pacific Ocean, it still kept the property in Ohio.

Canterbury native Moses Cleaveland played a huge role in settling the land. He was hired as the lead surveyor and led the first formal expedition to start the process of creating new settlement opportunities for his fellow Connecticut residents. During that adventurous trip, he founded the area that became the city of Cleveland.

During our September program, you can hear this story from Mike Allen, the producer and host of the podcast Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut’s Beaten Path (https://www.amazingtalesct.com). Mike specializes in bringing local history to life through his background in journalism, radio broadcasting, podcasting and public speaking.

For 10 years, Mike was News Director at western Connecticut radio station i-95 FM (WRKI-FM) before becoming Press Secretary to the Mayor of Danbury. During a subsequent 25-year corporate career, he worked, lived, and traveled internationally, specializing in public speaking, communications and marketing. A Connecticut resident for more than 50 years, Mike currently makes his home in Danbury.